Most women would balk at wearing five colours, but then the founder and owner of Nails Inc is not most women.

After leaving journalism to set up her chain of nail bars, her commitment has never wavered. Any downtime is spent with husband Nick, who runs a digital printing business, and their three children – aged between three and nine – in their Fulham home, a few miles from Nails Inc’s Regent Street head office.

"I don’t ever want to switch off," she says of her work. "It’s a big extension of who I am and I thoroughly enjoy it. It can be difficult, of course, to find a work-life balance but when you’re running your own business it’s up to you to find that balance."

Green, 37, has an MBE and was a finalist last year for the Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the Year award.

Turnover is already ahead of last year, boosted in part by expanding internationally. In a recession, people may forgo new outfits but they can still find cash for nails. And Thea Green is the woman to provide it.